Chapter 4 · Chapter 4 Daniel 8 – The Antichrist “Dear children, this is the last hour; ... 10 Horns Little Horn Rises Little Horn Wounded Little Horn Heard Boasting Daniel 2

Chapter 4Chapter 4Chapter 4Chapter 4Chapter 4

Daniel 8 – The AntichristDaniel 8 – The AntichristDaniel 8 – The AntichristDaniel 8 – The AntichristDaniel 8 – The Antichrist

“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you

have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even

now many antichrists have come. This is how we

know it is the last hour.”

– 1 John 2:18

Section I - The Symbols

As we proceed through the book of Daniel, the prophetic matrix will

continue to unfold, and our understanding of God’s Word will

become clearer. Daniel 8 adds several important elements to the

prophetic matrix. God can say so much with very few words! To

make this chapter easier to digest, I have sub-divided it into seven

segments. If you make sure that you understand the issues in each

segment as you proceed, you should end up with a deeper

appreciation for God’s Word at the end of this study. Before we

examine Daniel 8, there are four points from the previous chapter

that need to be restated:

1. History confirms the identity of the fourth beast in Daniel

7 to be the empire of Rome.

2. History confirms the identity of the little horn that

uprooted three of the ten horns to be the Roman Catholic

Church.

3. The timing of the convocation in Heaven (Daniel 7:9) is

linked to the wounding of the little horn power on Earth.

(Daniel 7:21,22) The time, times and half a time (the

1,260 years of persecution) mentioned in Daniel 7:25

came to an end in February 1798, when French soldiers

captured the pope and put him in exile. The downfall of

92 Chapter 4 – Daniel 8

the papacy occurred because the allotted time of 1,260

years ended, and the Ancient of Days pronounced a

restraining order in favor of the saints. As a result, the

persecution of God’s people ended. The linkage between

the wounding of the papacy in 1798 (on Earth) and the

issuance of the restraining order (in Heaven) is a key

point. Because the event on Earth is linked to an event in

Heaven, we can determine when the convocation in

Heaven began.

4. Daniel 7:11 (and Revelation 13:3) indicates the Roman

Catholic Church will return to a position of world

preeminence after 1798. Daniel heard boastful words from

the little horn after he observed the courtroom scene in

Heaven. (Compare Daniel 7:11 with Revelation 13:3.)

Now that these four points have been reviewed, consider the

following points that will rise from this study on Daniel 8:

1. Babylon will fall and the Medo-Persian empire will

rise to power.

2. The Medo-Persian empire will fall and the Grecian

empire will rise to power.

3. The cleansing of Heaven’s temple begins after

2,300 years.

4. During the Great Tribulation, Lucifer, the

Antichrist, will physically appear and masquerade

as God. He will gain control over Earth for a short

period of time and kill a large number of people.

Look over the matrix in Chart 4.1, and notice that it contains some

repetition and enlargement of the matrix presented in Chapter 3.

Especially notice the placement and order of the items located in the

rows for Daniel 7 and Daniel 8.

Remember from Chapter 1 that “no prophecy is complete within

itself,” and Daniel 8 is no exception. As we will see, Daniel 8 cannot

be accurately interpreted without using the developing matrix which

the four rules produce. Even with a valid set of rules, we have to be

careful that we put each element in its intended place. All of the

prophetic pieces have to fit together in a harmonious matrix, for God

93Chapter 4 – Daniel 8

Timing:605B.C.

538 B.C. 331 B.C.168B.C.

A.D.476

A.D.538

17981844

Great Tribulation

Daniel11:2-4

FourKings

MightyKing

Cambyses,False

Smerdis,Darius 1,Xerxes

Alex theGreat

then FourGenerals

Daniel8

Ram withTwo

Horns

Goat witha GreatHorn

then FourHorns

Judgmentof theDead

Judgmentof theLiving

HornPower:

TheSternFacedKing

Daniel7

Lionwith

Eagle'sWings

Bear withThreeRibs

Leopardwith Four

HeadsMonster

10Horns

LittleHornRises

LittleHorn

Wounded

LittleHornHeard

Boasting

Daniel2

Head ofGold

Chest ofSilver

Thighs ofBronze

Legs ofIron

Feet 10 Toes

Iron and ClayIron/Clay

BabylonMedo-Persia

Grecia Rome Many Kings10

Kings

is the Author and Designer of prophecy. Remember, each prophetic

element is like a piece of a puzzle that has several sides. The puzzle

is solved when all the pieces are positioned in such a way that they

harmoniously align with the surrounding pieces.

The Apocalyptic Sequence

God gave the vision in Daniel 8 to Daniel about 550 B.C. Daniel 8

follows the same order found in Daniel 2 and 7. In other words, this

vision contains an orderly sequence of events which is followed by

Chart 4.1

Prophetic Matrix Including Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11


commentary that explains the sequence. Carefully study the

apocalyptic sequence:

“In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision

appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which

appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in a vision; and it

came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the

palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a

vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine

eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a

ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but

one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I

saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and

southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither

was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did

according to his will, and became great.

“And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the

west on the face of the whole Earth, and touched not the

ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen

standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his

power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was

moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and

brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to

stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and

stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver

the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very

great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken;

and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds

of heaven.

“And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which

waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the

east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even

to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and

of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he

magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him

the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his

sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against

the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast


down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and

prospered.” (Daniel 8:1-12, KJV)

Comments

These twelve verses focus on three symbols: a ram, a goat and a

horn power. Because the Bible is its own interpreter, it provides the

meaning of these symbols. The ram represents the kingdom of

Medo-Persia. (Daniel 5:28; 8:20). The two horns of the ram

represent the co-regent reign of two kings, the king of the Medes

and the king of the Persians. The higher horn (the greater king)

represents the Persian side of this kingdom. The higher horn of the

ram in Daniel 8:3 also aligns with the “higher shoulder” of the bear

in Daniel 7:5. (See Chart 4.1.)

The second symbol, the goat, represents the kingdom of Grecia.

(Daniel 8:21) The great horn represents the first prominent king of

the Grecian empire. History reveals this king was Alexander the

Great, who died in the prime of his life. The four horns that replaced

the great horn represent four generals that eventually gained

control of Alexander’s empire. Historians identify these generals as

Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus.

We know the identity of the ram and goat, but what does the third

symbol, the horn power, represent? Until the twentieth century, a

majority of Protestants claimed the little horn in Daniel 7 and the

horn power in Daniel 8 represented the papacy. True, both horns

have important similarities, but they are not the same entity. We

will see that the horn power in Daniel 8 is many times more

powerful than the Roman Catholic Church.

Beasts Are Kingdoms – Horns Are Kings

In Daniel 8, the two beasts represent empires, but the horns of the

ram and of the goat represent kings. This distinction is important,

because the horn power in this vision is not attached to a beast (a

world empire). Further, the Bible says this horn power is a king.

(Daniel 8:23) Daniel was told this king will exalt himself to be as

great as the Prince of the host, Jesus Christ! (Daniel 8:11) The horn

power in Daniel 8 is a stern-faced king that will rule over Earth

during the Great Tribulation. (Daniel 11:36) This coming king is the

Antichrist, Lucifer, who will dazzle the world with his power,

authority and ability to perform incredible miracles. He will gain


control of Earth and do more evil than Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot

combined. In short, the dreaded Antichrist will not be a mere man.

The coming Antichrist will be Lucifer, appearing in the flesh,

masquerading as an angel of light, and claiming to be Almighty God.

(2 Corinthians 11:14; Daniel 11:36; Revelation 9; Revelation 13:11-18)

Timing Is Everything

The vision in Daniel 8 almost covers the same 2,600 years described

in Daniel 2 and 7. The only difference is that the Daniel 8 vision

starts with the Medo-Persian empire (538 B.C.) instead of the

Babylonian empire (605 B.C.). The sequence in this vision ends

when Jesus destroys “the stern-faced king” at the Second Coming.

Daniel 8:25 indicates the horn power will be destroyed by God:

“. . . he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” (See

Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:11 and Revelation 19:11-21.) This is an

important specification. Men will not be able to destroy the

Antichrist. Lucifer will do whatever he wants and no one will be

able to stop him. Jesus does not lay hands on His enemies at the

Second Coming; He simply commands the wicked to die. The sharp

sword that comes out of His mouth represents His ability to speak

the command and people drop dead. (See Revelation 19:15-21.) It is

interesting to note that the voice that calls the righteous dead to life

(1 Thessalonians 4:16) is the same voice that commands the wicked

to die. (Revelation 19:21)

Because God is the Creator of apocalyptic prophecy, we know Daniel

8 will harmonize with the matrix established in Daniel 2 and Daniel

7. Pay close attention to the words of Gabriel, as he speaks to

Daniel about the sequence of events: “And I heard a man’s voice

from the Ulai calling, ‘Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of

the vision.’ As he came near the place where I was standing, I

was terrified and fell prostrate. ‘Son of man,’ he said to me,

‘understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.’

While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my

face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my

feet. He said: ‘I am going to tell you what will happen later in

the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed

time of the end.’ ” (Daniel 8:16-19, italics mine)

Look at the words which have been italicized. Gabriel twice

emphasized the point that this vision concerns “the time of the end”


or “the appointed time of the end.” The word “appointed” means the

time of the end was set or predetermined long ago. This is why

Gabriel calls it “the appointed time of the end.” God has set a date

for the Great Tribulation to begin. The Father has also set a date

for the Second Coming. (Matthew 24:36) So, ready or not, believe it

or not, God’s great clock is counting the days to the appointed time

of the end. (Read Revelation 9:15 and notice how the date for the

sixth trumpet has been predetermined down to the very hour.)

The Time of Wrath

Gabriel said the appointed time of the end will be a time of wrath. A

time of wrath means that everyone will suffer wrath during the

appointed time of the end. The wicked will receive God’s wrath for

their rebellion and insolence (Colossians 3:5,6; Revelation 16), and

the saints will receive the wrath of their governments when they

refuse to obey the dictates of Babylon and the Antichrist!

(Revelation 13:7-10) Everyone will suffer wrath.

How does the horn power in Daniel 8 connect to the appointed time

of the end? The connection is quite simple because the ram and the

goat are not end-time players. History says these world empires

disappeared more than two thousand years ago. However, the horn

power, or “the stern-faced king,” has not yet appeared. He is the

only item left in this vision that relates to the appointed time of the

end. As we will see, the horn power in Daniel 8 is the coming

Antichrist. He will appear “out of nowhere” during the Great

Tribulation. He does not rise out of a nation or a kingdom like the

little horn of Daniel 7. Lucifer will suddenly appear in clouds of

light with his angels, and through counterfeit miracles, signs,

wonders, deceit and lies, he will deceive the whole world. He will

gain control of Earth during the appointed time of the end.

First Question

After hearing that the horn power is the only part of this vision that

applies to the time of the end, one of the first questions people ask is

this: “Why did God put two ancient kingdoms in this vision if they

have nothing to do with the end-time?” There are at least three

reasons for placing these ancient kingdoms in a prophecy that points

to the appointed time of the end:


1. God placed the ram and goat in the vision of Daniel 8 so

that we could identify by name the two empires that

followed Babylon. The Bible says the ram and the goat

represent the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians and

the Grecians, respectively. (Daniel 8:20,21) By stating

their names, God eliminated any wiggle room about the

identity of the first three empires in Daniel’s historical

matrix, namely, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Grecia.

Furthermore, the identity of these three kingdoms leaves

no question about the identity of the fourth beast in

Daniel 7 (Rome) nor the identity of the little horn power

in Daniel 7 that rose out of Rome (the Roman Catholic

Church).

2. The second reason God put two ancient kingdoms in this

end-time vision is linkage. The ram is connected by the

2,300 days to an event that occurs in Heaven. Because we

cannot see into Heaven with the naked eye, God has

linked events in Heaven with well known events on

Earth. The result is simple. Students of apocalyptic

prophecy can determine the timing of several heavenly

events which no one can see.

3. Last, God put two ancient kingdoms in this end-time

vision because God wants everyone to know the horn

power in Daniel 8 does not rise out of an ancient empire

like the little horn of Daniel 7. The horn power in Daniel

8 is not an extension of the Roman empire nor any world

empire. The point here is separation. The horn power in

Daniel 8 is separate and isolated from earthly kingdoms.

This was not the case in Daniel 7. We know the little

horn in Daniel 7 rose out of the fourth beast and it

derived its name from its powerful host. For seventeen

centuries, the little horn of Daniel 7 has been called the

Roman Catholic Church. To keep us from misidentifying

the horn power of Daniel 8, God inserted more than 2,000

years between the ancient kingdoms and the appearing of

the horn power. God wants the world to understand that

the horn power in Daniel 8 does not have an earthly

origin. Instead, he will have a supernatural one.


Revelation 9 indicates that Lucifer will come down out of

the sky attended by millions of angels.

Antichrist Will Not be Human

The books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Corinthians, Daniel

and Revelation harmonize because they are the Word of God. They

present a rather startling picture of the coming Antichrist by adding

valuable pieces to the puzzle. The following comments are a brief

synthesis of what these books say about the Antichrist:

The coming Antichrist will not be a mere mortal. The coming

Antichrist will not be born to a woman. The coming Antichrist

cannot be killed by men. The coming Antichrist will have

supernatural powers that far exceed anything men can do. The

coming Antichrist will be evil and destructive beyond compre-

hension. The coming Antichrist will be dazzling and commanding in

appearance, but deadly in his manipulation. The coming Antichrist

will be a stern-faced king, that is, he will not show mercy unless

temporal mercy facilitates his evil schemes. Billions of powerful

demons serve him. The coming Antichrist is the ancient foe of

Christ. In fact, Lucifer is the most powerful and greatest angel that

God ever created. He was the first being to become anti-Christ. The

Bible predicts that God will allow Lucifer and his angels to appear

in physical form visible to the human race. Just as Jesus became a

man to save the world, Lucifer will be granted authority to

masquerade as God so that he can quickly lead the wicked to their

destruction. Lucifer will mimic Christ’s return and appear with

clouds of angels. You can be sure the appearing of the devil will be

the most spectacular event ever viewed by human eyes (Revelation

17:8) – only to be eclipsed by the brighter and more glorious

appearing of Jesus. (Revelation 1:7, 19:11-21)

Horn Power Not Antiochus Epiphanes IV Nor the Papacy

Most Christians believe the horn power in Daniel 8 is either

Antiochus Epiphanes IV, an ancient king who ruled with Rome’s

permission over a tiny Syrian state (175-164 B.C.), or they say this

horn power is the Roman Catholic Church. Of course, the only way

we can determine the true identity of this horn power is by

satisfying all of the specifications given to Daniel. We will find in

this presentation that both interpretations share the same


deficiency. Neither conclusion satisfies all of the specifications given

in Daniel 8.

Even though Bible students and scholars have studied the book of

Daniel for centuries, it was impossible for them to know the truth

about Daniel 8 because the knowledge of the architecture of Daniel

was sealed up until the time of the end. (Daniel 12:4,9) Because the

end of the age is here and the Great Tribulation is about to begin,

the book of Daniel has been unsealed and God’s Word now speaks

with a clarity and precision that it did not have before. When

Daniel 8 is integrated into the historical matrix which the four rules

of interpretation produce, the horn power in Daniel 8 cannot be

Antiochus IV or the papacy! The horn power in Daniel 8 is

something far more powerful and far more sinister. The horn power

in Daniel 8 is the great enemy of God and man. He is the coming

Antichrist.

Section II - Antichrist as King of the North

All Specifications Have to Be Fulfilled

Rule Two says, “A fulfilment of apocalyptic prophecy occurs when all

of the specifications within that prophecy are met. This includes the

order of events outlined in the prophecy.” With this rule in mind, we

will carefully examine all of the specifications of the horn power in

Daniel 8. We will begin with the origin of the Horn Power. “The

goat [Grecia] became very great, but at the height of his

power his large horn [Alexander the Great] was broken off, and

in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four

winds of heaven [North, East, West, South]. Out of one of them

[the four winds] came another horn, which started small but

grew in power to the south and to the east and toward [the

west] the Beautiful Land.” (Daniel 8:8,9, insertions mine) The

Bible says the large or prominent horn of the goat was broken off at

the height of its power. This seems odd. A person would not expect

a powerful horn to “break off” at the peak of its strength, but

remember, this horn represents a king, not an empire. Alexander

the Great died at the peak of his military power. His kingdom was

divided between his four generals which are represented by the four


horns. Gabriel told Daniel, “The four horns that replaced the

one that was broken off represent four [kings or] kingdoms

that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same

power.” (Daniel 8:22, insertion mine) It is interesting to observe

that prophecy is history written in advance. History confirms

Gabriel’s words. None of Alexander’s generals were strong enough to

reunite the Grecian kingdom.

God used beasts in Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 to represent empires, but

He consistently used horns to represent kings. The Hebrew word for

horn, malkuwth, can mean king, ruler or kingdom. Most translators

treat malkuwth in Daniel 8:22 as “four kingdoms,” however, in this

context malkuwth is better translated “four kings.” Because horns

represent kings in Daniel 8, this consistency forces the horn power

in Daniel 8 to also be a king. In fact, the Bible emphasizes this point

by indicating the horn power in Daniel 8 will be a stern-faced “king”

who appears during the appointed time of the end! (See Daniel

8:19,23.)

The Horn Power Comes out of the North

“And out of one of them [the four winds] came forth a little

horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and

toward the east, and toward the [west] pleasant land.” (Daniel

8:9, KJV, insertions mine) From the evidence that follows, we will

discover that the horn power (the stern-faced king) does not

originate within an earthly kingdom. Actually, the Antichrist just

appears out of nowhere. The Bible reveals he comes from the north,

out of one of the four winds. There is more to this direction than one

might think at first. As we proceed, notice how the horn power in

Daniel 8 does not have its roots in ancient kingdoms such as Medo-

Persia, Grecia or Rome!

Daniel 8:9 says, “And out of one of them came another horn. . . .”

To understand this phrase we have to examine the grammar. To

what noun does the pronoun “them” refer? The Hebrew pronoun

“them” (hem) is masculine, and the Hebrew word for “winds”

(ruwach) can be masculine or feminine, but the Hebrew word for

“horns” (qeren) is feminine. Therefore, a gender agreement

(masculine “them” and masculine “winds”) is possible if we say, “Out

of one of the four winds. . . .” But if we say, “Out of one of the four

horns. . .,” the gender in the grammar does not agree. Even though


grammar suggests the horn power comes out of one of the four

winds, grammar alone does not make this conclusion air-tight. So,

let us see if there is stronger evidence.

Daniel was standing on the banks of the Ulai River when he

received this vision. From his point of reference, the horn power

started out small, but became “exceeding great” as it grew toward

the south, east and “toward the beautiful land.” Daniel refers to his

homeland as “the beautiful land” without explicitly saying “west.”

(See Jeremiah 3:19.) Maps of this region show Jerusalem to be due

west of the province of Elam where Daniel was located. So, after

analyzing verse 9, we discover the horn power comes out of the

north and grows toward the south, east and west.

The direction of north is very significant. The ancients thought the

world was flat, and north was “up” and south was “down.” Two

thousand six hundred years later, while we know the world is not

flat, we still follow this tradition. Most people think the North Pole

is on the top of the world and the South Pole is at the bottom. The

ancients believed that God’s throne was above the world, so they

concluded that divine judgments came down from the north.

Carefully study the following seven texts and notice how the

direction of north is associated with divine destruction (italics and

insertions mine):

1. “This is what the Lord says [to Israel]: ‘Look, an

army is coming from the land of the north [to destroy

you]; a great nation is being stirred up from the

ends of the Earth. They are armed with bow and

spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They

sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their

horses; they come like men in battle formation to

attack you, O Daughter of Zion.’ ” (Jeremiah 6:22,23)

2. “ ‘I will summon all the peoples of the north and my

servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,’ declares

the Lord, ‘and I will bring them against this land

and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding

nations. I will completely destroy them [the

inhabitants of Judah] and make them an object of

horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin.’ ”

(Jeremiah 25:9)


3. “This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah

the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar

king of Babylon to attack Egypt. . . Egypt is a

beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her

from the north. The mercenaries in her ranks are

like fattened calves. They too will turn and flee

together, they will not stand their ground, for the

day of disaster is coming upon them, the time for

them to be punished.” (Jeremiah 46:13,20,21)

4. “Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up

a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but

say, ‘Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to

shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will

be put to shame and her idols filled with terror.’ A

nation from the North [the Medes] will attack her

and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both

men and animals will flee away.” (Jeremiah 50:2,3)

5. “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog

[Lucifer]: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In

that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,

will you not take notice of it? You will come from

your place in the far north, you and many nations

with you, all of them riding on horses, a great

horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my

people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In

days to come, O Gog [Lucifer], I will bring you

against my land, so that the nations may know me

when I show myself holy through you before their

eyes.’ ” (Ezekiel 38:14-16)

6. The horn power in Daniel 8 descends from the north

because north is a meaningful direction. God deliberately

embedded this seemingly insignificant detail in Daniel 8

because He can say profound things with very few words

through figurative speech. (Remember, no copy machines

or printing presses existed in those days. Hand copied

books were scarce and extremely expensive, so books with

fewer words were easier to preserve.) The direction of

“north” became a significant direction when Lucifer began


campaigning against Christ in Heaven. Speaking about

Lucifer’s blasphemy, the Lord said, “For thou hast said

in thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will

exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit

also upon the mount of the congregation, in the

sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of

the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah

14:13,14, KJV) The phrase, “the sides of the north,” refers

to the location of God’s throne. God’s throne was located

on the “higher side” or the north side of Heaven’s temple!

(The Table of Showbread, which represented God’s

throne, was placed on the north side of the earthly

temple.) This knowledge and God’s consistent use of the

direction of “north” in the Old Testament indicate that

divine authority or judgment originates on “the sides of

the north.”

7. One more text highlighting the importance of the

direction north which the reader should consider. In the

book of Job, Elihu speaks for God. He addresses a

number of false arguments which Job’s friends had made

against God. (I am convinced that Elihu was Jesus, who

physically appeared before Job and his friends, much like

the Lord appeared before Abraham. Genesis 18:22) Elihu

said, “Be assured that my words are not false; one

perfect in knowledge is with you. . . . Out of the

north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in

awesome majesty.” (Job 36:4; 37:22, italics mine) In the

context of Job 36 and 37, the sovereign authority and

awesome wisdom of God comes out of the north. This

makes perfect sense because God’s throne is located “on

the sides of the north” in Heaven’s temple. (See Exodus

26:35 and Exodus 40:22 for the location of the Table of

Showbread which represented God’s throne.)

Intermediate Review

1. The horn power comes out of one of the four winds.

2. The horn power comes out of the north and grows toward

the south, east and west.


3. Divine authority and divine destruction come out of the

north.

4. God’s throne is located on the north side of Heaven’s

temple.

The King of the North in Daniel 11

Even though Daniel 8 indicates the horn power comes out of the

north, Daniel 11 offers more details about the king who comes out of

the north. Let us jump ahead for a moment to Daniel 11:36 and

notice a few verses. These verses may help you see more clearly

how the architecture of Daniel influences my conclusion that the

horn power in Daniel 8 is the Antichrist. First, consider these

verses: “Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be

refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end,

for it will still come at the appointed time. [However, at the

appointed time of the end] The [stern-faced] king will do as he

pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god

and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He

will be successful until the time of wrath [the Great

Tribulation] is completed, for what has been determined must

take place.” (Daniel 11:35,36, italics and insertions mine) These

two verses speak about the time of the end. Now we will jump

forward to verses 40 and 41. “At the time of the end the king of

the south will [rebel and] engage him in battle, and the king of

the north [the Antichrist] will storm out against him with

chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade

many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will

also invade the Beautiful Land. . . .” (Daniel 11:40,41, insertions

mine)

After Lucifer appears on Earth, Revelation 13:8 indicates most

wicked people will receive him as God, but many of them will reject

him and rebel against his claims of authority. Daniel 11 reveals the

wicked king of the south will rise up and oppose the arrogant and

pompous claims of Lucifer, the king of the north. Lucifer will wage

war against the king of the south, and will destroy him and his

followers. In fact, this destruction amounts to one-third of the

wicked! The remaining two-thirds of the wicked will gladly submit

to the devil as though he were Almighty God. As horrendous as this

battle is, the sixth-trumpet war is not the battle of Armageddon.


The battle of Armageddon occurs as Jesus appears. (Revelation

16:12-21)

The war described in Daniel 11:40,41 is also described in Revelation

9:13-21. Daniel and Revelation perfectly harmonize on this matter.

The point is that the horn power of Daniel 8 is the king from the

north. Study over Chart 4.2 and notice how the king from the north

in Daniel 11:36 and the horn power of Daniel 8 appear at the

appointed time of the end. The architecture of apocalyptic prophecy

is amazing! (Note: To keep the size of this growing matrix within

the physical constraints of the pages within this book, the column

for Babylon has been removed.)

Summarizing His Origin

The horn power in Daniel 8 does not arise from a nation on Earth.

This king will come out of the north during the appointed time of the

end. God uses the point of origin to make a profound statement.

The Antichrist will arrive on a divine mission of destruction! God

will send the stern-faced king to rule over the wicked. God will send

him because the wicked rejected His truth and rebelled against His

generous offer of salvation. Paul talked about this, “. . . They [the

wicked] perish because they refused to love the truth and so be

saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion

so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be

condemned who have not believed the truth but have

delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, italics mine)

Consider God’s consistent ways. He sent armies to destroy the

Caananites, the Israelites, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the

Medes and Persians, the Grecians, and the Romans. When nations

go beyond the point of redemption, God raises up a destroyer king.

The reason God places the Antichrist in the end time story is

because He sets up kings and He takes them down with other kings.

During the Great Tribulation, God will send the stern-faced king of

Daniel 8 (the Antichrist) to destroy much of the world. The devil

will kill one-third of mankind, leaving two groups of survivors.

When Jesus appears, one group will obey the commandments of the

Lamb (Revelation 12:17) and the other group will obey the lamb-like

beast (the Antichrist).


Timing: 538 B.C. 331 B.C. 168 B.C.A.D.

476

A.D.

5381798 1844 Great Tribulation

Daniel

11:36

King of

the

North

Appears

Daniel

11:2-35

Four

Kings

Cambyses,

False

Smerdis,

Darius I,

Artexerxes

Mighty

King

Alex the

Great

Plus

Four

Generals

Kingdoms to the

North and South

of Israel at War.

Israel Caught in

the Middle.

Jerusalem

Destroyed A.D.

70.

God's

People

Caught

Between

Kings of

the

North

and the

South

Daniel

8

|---457 B.C. ------------ 2,300 Day/Years ------------- 1844---| The Time of the End

Ram with

Two Horns

Goat

with One

Great

Horn --

Then

Four

Horns

Judgment

of the

Dead

Judgment

of the

Living

Horn

Power

from the

North:

Stern

Faced

King

Daniel

7

Bear with

Three Ribs

Leopard

with

Four

Heads

Monster

10

Horns

at First

1,260 Day/Years

A.D. 538 to 1798

Books of

Record

Opened

Little

Horn

Heard

Boasting

Beasts

Are

Burned

Up in

the Fire

at the

End

Little

Horn

Rises

Uproot-

s 3

Horns

Court

Seated

Little

Horn

Falls

Daniel

2

Chest ofThighs

ofLegs of Feet

10 Toes

10 Kings

Silver Bronze Iron Iron and Clay Iron/Clay

Medo

PersiaGrecia Rome Many Kings 10 Kings

Prophecy Matrix With the King of the North

Chart 4.2


I know this explanation of the horn power goes beyond the evidence

presented thus far in Daniel 8, but my purpose is to help you behold

a very large picture that will continue to unfold if the apocalyptic

rules are followed!

Section III - Antichrist Will Oppose All Religions

The Horn Power Grows Until. . . .

“It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it

threw some of the starry host down to the earth and

trampled on them.” (Daniel 8:10) The horn power from the north

starts small, but it grows until it reaches the starry host of the

heavens, then it throws them down and tramples them. This

language indicates the stern-faced king will grow in recognition and

authority among the inhabitants of Earth until he is exalted above

all gods! The book of Revelation reveals more about this process

than Daniel. Revelation indicates the devil will begin his physical

work on Earth with local appearances. The devil, along with his

enormous host of angels, will come down out of the sky in blinding

clouds of light at specific locations on Earth. He will imitate

Christ’s Second Coming with two obvious differences. First, God will

not permit the devil to be visible to the whole world at one time. So,

the people of Earth will not be introduced to the Antichrist at one

event. He will grow in popularity as he appears in the skies over

the populated cities of Earth. Great cities of the world such as

Mexico City, Jerusalem, Washington D.C., Moscow, Sydney, Beijing,

Calcutta, Houston and others, will see magnificent displays of power

and glory. Lucifer will appear in various places and he will exercise

miracle-working powers to convince people that he is God.

(Revelation 13:14,15) Even though his display of power will be

amazing, the saints will not be deceived. They know who lives

behind the mask. (Revelation 14:9,10)

To understand the meaning of “the starry hosts” in Daniel 8, we

have to examine the language and ways of people who lived in

ancient times. Polytheism was popular. The ancients worshiped

various gods who lived among the stars of the heavens. (Daniel

2:11,28) They used the stars, like dots on a drawing pad, to draw


pictures of their gods. These mythical gods belonged to a collection

called “the starry hosts.” Idols of gold, silver, wood and stone were

representations of these various gods. These five texts help us

understand who the starry hosts were (italics mine):

1. “They [Israel] forsook all the commands of the

Lord their God and made for themselves two

idols cast in the shape of calves, and an

Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the

starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal.”

(2 Kings 17:16, insertion mine)

2. “He [King Manasseh] rebuilt the high places

his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also

erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah

pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He

bowed down to all the starry hosts and

worshiped them. He built altars in the temple

of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, ‘In

Jerusalem I will put my Name.’ In both

courts of the temple of the Lord, he built

altars to all the starry hosts. . . .” (2 Kings 21:3-5,

insertion mine)

3. “He [King Josiah] did away with the pagan

priests appointed by the kings of Judah to

burn incense on the high places of the towns

of Judah and on those around Jerusalem –

those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun

and moon, to the constellations and to all the

starry hosts.” (2 Kings 23:5, insertion mine)

4. “You alone are the Lord. You made the

heavens, even the highest heavens, and all

their starry host, the earth and all that is on

it, the seas and all that is in them. You give

life to everything, and the multitudes of

heaven worship you.” (Nehemiah 9:6)

5. “And when you look up to the sky and see the

sun, the moon and the stars – all the heavenly

array – do not be enticed into bowing down


to them and worshiping things the Lord your

God has apportioned to all the nations under

heaven.” (Deuteronomy 4:19)

If we allow the Bible to be its own interpreter, the term “starry

hosts” represents pagan deities. The ancients gave them names such

as Baal, Mercury, Zeus, Hermes, Venus, Ra, Sol and others. (Acts

14:12) With this setting in mind, Daniel 8:10 indicates the

Antichrist will grow in authority and recognition until he is honored

above all gods worshiped by men. The stern-faced king will prove

himself greater than the gods of all religions because he can perform

great signs and miracles at will. No other false god will be able to

match his glory or prowess. Even King Nebuchadnezzar admitted

that Daniel’s God was greater than his own god when Daniel

interpreted the king’s vision! So, when the time comes, the

Antichrist will call fire down out of Heaven to destroy rebellious

groups of people, and his actions will convince onlookers that they

are in the presence of Almighty God. (Revelation 13:13,14; 2 Thes-

salonians 2:9) In this way, the devil will trample down (show

inferior) all of the gods of this world and the religions of men. Now

that you have an idea of what the horn power from the north will do

to the nations and religions of the world, notice these two texts:

1. “The [stern-faced] king [of the North] will do as he

pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above

every god and will say unheard-of things against

the God of gods. He will be successful until the time

of wrath is completed, for what has been deter-

mined must take place. He will show no regard for

the gods of his fathers [the traditional gods of religions]

or for the one desired by women [Jesus Christ*], nor

will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above

them all.” (Daniel 11:36,37, italics and insertion mine.

2. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day

[the Second Coming] shall not come, except there

come a falling away [from the truth] first, and that

* Most virgins in Israel hoped they would be the one through whom the

Deliverer would be born. See how Mary’s good fortune is described in

Luke 1:34,35.


man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition

[destruction]; Who opposeth and exalteth himself

above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;

so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,

showing himself that he is God.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:3,4, KJV, insertions mine)

Do not forget each of these specifications. The details regarding the

horn power of Daniel 8 are creating a tall order – in fact, no ordinary

person can meet these specifications.

Section IV - Horn Power Cannot Be Antiochus

Epiphanes IV

Daily Services in Heaven

It is regrettable that millions of Christians believe that Antiochus

Epiphanes IV (175-164 B.C.) is the horn power of Daniel 8. We will

investigate this claim by comparing the specifications given in the

Bible with historical facts about Antiochus IV. Beginning with

Daniel 8:11, the angel said, “It [the horn power] set itself up to be

as great as the Prince of the host [The Lord Jesus]; it [the horn

power] took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place

of his sanctuary was brought low.” (Daniel 8:11, insertions and

italics mine) Verse 11 will make a lot more sense if you understand

God’s use of parallel temples. (See * below.) Daniel 8:11 is not

describing the cessation of daily sacrifices in Jerusalem’s temple in

167 B.C. Instead, we will see that this verse describes the cessation

of daily services in Heaven’s temple which during “the appointed

time of the end.”

The word “sacrifice” in verse 11 has been added by translators and is

not found in the original manuscripts. This fact is important

because Gabriel is not talking about the cessation of animal

sacrifices on Earth. He is talking about the cessation of the daily

* If you have not investigated the doctrine of parallel sanctuaries,

please review Chapters 11 and 12 in my companion volume,

Jesus, The Alpha and The Omega.


services in Heaven’s temple. The word “daily” comes from a

perpetual round of services that occurred evening and morning in

the earthly temple. The daily services on Earth shadow similar

services in Heaven’s temple. (Hebrews 8:1-5) During the appointed

time of the end, the Antichrist will cause the daily services in

Heaven’s temple to end and the Antichrist will cause the place of

Christ’s sanctuary to be brought low (treated with disdain and

contempt).

History reveals that Antiochus IV ended the daily services in

Jerusalem’s temple for a three year period. However, the cessation

of the daily in 167 B.C. is not a fulfillment of Daniel 8, nor does this

make Antiochus IV the horn power of Daniel 8. Antiochus IV was

not the only king that terminated the daily services at the temple in

Jerusalem. For example, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple in

586 B.C. and ended the daily services for more than seventy years.

The Roman general, Titus, destroyed the temple in A.D. 70, and the

daily services of the temple have not resumed to this day because

there is no temple in Jerusalem. However, the primary question

begging for an answer is whether Antiochus IV was powerful enough

to take the daily away from the Prince of the host, Jesus! Review

verse 11 again: “It [the horn power] set itself up to be as great as

the Prince of the host [the Lord Jesus]; it took away the daily

sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was

brought low.”

The History of Antiochus IV

A brief history of Antiochus Epiphanes IV may be helpful because

millions of people believe Antiochus IV is a fulfillment of the horn

power in Daniel 8. Let us closely examine the logic that produces

this conclusion.

1. The Bible says the goat in Daniel 8 represents Grecia.

2. The Bible says the great horn represents the first king of

Grecia, Alexander the Great.

3. The Bible says the four horns represent the four generals

that gained control of Alexander’s empire.

4. One of the four generals was Seleucus. He was the first in

a long line of succeeding kings.


5. Just before the Grecian empire fell to Rome, Antiochus IV

came to power as the king of Syria (175-164 B.C.). After

his father, Antiochus the Great, died, the Romans, who

controlled the Middle East at this time, allowed

Antiochus IV to become the eighth king in a line of kings

whose lineage dates back to Seleucus. Antiochus IV

exalted himself by adding “Epiphany” to his name. An

epiphany is “a great manifestation of God.” The Romans

mocked the pompous little king by calling him Antiochus

Epimanes IV. Epimanes sounds similar to Epiphany, but

it means “mad man.”

6. About 168 B.C., Antiochus sent his army to Egypt to steal

some wealth. He desperately needed to replenish his

empty treasury. Antiochus had squandered the assets of

his kingdom on foolish endeavors and Syria was near the

point of bankruptcy. He defeated the cowardly Ptolemee,

king of Egypt, but Rome sent an envoy to inform

Antiochus IV that he could not rule over Egypt.

Antiochus knew that any sign of rebellion against Rome

was fatal. Thwarted and humiliated, but happy with the

loot he had stolen, he returned home.

7. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, the high priest, Jason, had

initiated a rebellion against the rigid control of

conservative Jews. He wanted to adopt some of the more

liberal Hellenistic ways of the Greeks and build a Greek

gymnasium where nude body-building and sensual

exercises could be conducted. While this conflict was

unfolding, Menelaus, a wealthy Jew, offered Antiochus IV

a large bribe if he would send soldiers to overthrow

Jerusalem’s leadership and appoint Menelaus as high

priest. This bribe gave Antiochus a “golden” opportunity

to quell Jason’s rebellion and plunder the Jewish temple

of its gold and silver. Gold and silver from the Jewish

temple would help replenish his ever-empty treasury.

8. Antiochus loved the decadent and sensual ways of the

Greeks. When the king arrived in Jerusalem, he showed

contempt for the conservative Jews by erecting a statue of

the Greek god, Zeus, on the Altar of Burnt Offering on


Chislev 15, 167 B.C. Ten days later, on Chislev 25,

Antiochus ended daily services (including the daily

sacrifices) at the temple when he offered a pig (or some

unclean animal) on the Altar of Burnt Offering. This

abominable act led to a series of wars between Antiochus’

forces and conservative Jews. This series of wars became

known as the Maccabean revolt because a conservative

priest, Judas Maccabeus, led the Jews against the forces

of Antiochus IV.

9. A year or so later, Antiochus ran out of money again.

This time he decided to raid portions of Persia to finance

his excessive spending habits. So he turned the

management of his kingdom over to his friend, Lysais,

instructing him to destroy the Jews and Jerusalem as

quickly as possible. However, Judas Maccabeus and the

Jews eventually defeated Lysais and his generals. The

victory over Lysais did not end the wars between the

Jews and their enemies. Three years after offering a pig

on the altar, to the very day, on Chislev 25, 164 B.C., a

new altar was installed and dedicated in the temple at

Jerusalem and daily services resumed. The Jews have

celebrated the restoration of temple services on this day

ever since. (See John 10:22,23.) It is called Hannukkah,

which means “the dedication.”

10. Meanwhile, in Persia, Antiochus IV experienced a

number of sound defeats, and when he learned that the

Jews had defeated Lysais and robbed him of his

armament, Antiochus IV became heartsick. After a

period of suffering from illness (perhaps from too much

drinking), Antiochus uttered these words, “I perish

through great grief in a strange land.” (1 Maccabees 6:13)

After giving his close friend, Philip, his crown, robe, and

signet, he gave instructions that he was to raise his son,

Antiochus V, to take his throne. Then, Antiochus IV died.

What Is Wrong with the Antiochus Interpretation?

Because there are valid rules of interpretation, no prophecy stands

alone. Daniel 8 is not isolated from the historical matrix that

unfolds in the book of Daniel. Because there are so many variables


in the study of prophecy, we have to follow a set of valid rules if we

want to know the intended meaning of prophecy. If we do not follow

a valid set of rules, the outcome will be a private interpretation.

Even though a private interpretation may be exciting and very

reasonable, and even though millions of people may accept it as

truth, a private interpretation never produces God’s intended

meaning in apocalyptic prophecy. (2 Peter 1:20)

Because God sealed the book of Daniel until the time of the end, the

intended meaning of Daniel’s visions could not be known until the

time of the end arrives. (Daniel 12:4,9) When it comes to apocalyptic

prophecy, there is one fulfillment of prophecy. There is one meaning

and there is one time-line. Apocalyptic events do not occur more

than once. Rule One prohibits multiple fulfillments because there is

a beginning point in time and an ending point in time for each

prophecy and the events within the prophecy occur in the order in

which are they given. God’s foreknowledge is perfect. A fulfillment

is the full-filling of all that God has said would come to pass. If all

of the specifications of a prophecy are not met in an interpretation,

the student has two options: (a) ignore the specifications and accept

an interpretation that merely sounds good, or (b) reject the

interpretation because it does not satisfy all of the specifications.

Given these two choices, let us compare some of the supporting

arguments for Antiochus IV with Scripture:

1. Gabriel said, “It [the horn power] set itself up to be as

great as the Prince of the host [Jesus Christ]; it took

away the daily sacrifice from him [Jesus Christ], and

the place of his sanctuary was brought low.” (Daniel

8:11, insertions mine) History indicates that whatever

Antiochus lacked in intelligence, he compensated with

insolence and arrogance. No doubt, his ego was so

delirious that he believed he was greater than the Prince

of the host, Jesus Christ. Remember, Antiochus IV

claimed to be an epiphany, but history reveals he was

anything but an epiphany. Antiochus IV caused the daily

services at the temple in Jerusalem to stop for a period of

three years when he desecrated the Altar of Burnt

Offering, but Antiochus was neither the first nor the last

to defile the temple. Nebuchadnezzar (586 B.C.) and

Titus (A.D. 70) did the same thing. Consider the


specifications in the text. Verse 11 requires Antiochus IV

to take the daily services away from Jesus Christ, the

Prince of the host. Did Antiochus take the daily away

from the Jews or from the Prince of the host? The answer

to this question is obvious. Antiochus took the daily away

from “the Jews.” The daily ceased in Jerusalem for three

years, but Antiochus did not take away the daily

intercession of our High Priest in Heaven’s temple.

(Hebrews 7:25-27) The termination of the daily in Heaven

does not occur until the appointed time of the end arrives!

(Daniel 12:11,12; Revelation 8:2-5)

2. Gabriel said, “The four horns that replaced the one

that was broken off represent four kingdoms that

will emerge from his nation but will not have the

same power. In the latter part of their reign, when

rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-

faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise.” (Daniel

8:22,23) Many advocates of the Antiochus theory say

these two verses describe Antiochus IV because he rose to

power during the fading years of the Grecian empire. The

Bible says, “In the latter part of their reign, when

rebels have become completely wicked. . .” People

defending Antiochus IV claim “the latter part of their

reign” applies to the final days of the four divisions of the

Grecian empire because Antiochus IV came to power with

Rome’s permission in 175 B.C. and Grecia fell about seven

years later in 168 B.C. Does the phrase “the latter part of

their reign” point to the final days of the Grecian empire

or does it point to the reign of those kings who will be

ruling at “the appointed time of the end?” Does the stern-

faced king arise while Grecia is falling or at the end of the

world? These are pivotal questions that need answers.

In an effort to give Antiochus every advantage to fulfill

this prophecy, let us apply the phrase, “In the latter part

of their reign...” to the last days of Grecia, so that

Antiochus might be able to satisfy this specification. If

we do this, the next phrase, “. . . when rebels have

become completely wicked,” would have to apply to

the rebels in Jerusalem who, like Jason and the renegade


Jews, wanted to adopt the sensual ways of Antiochus IV

and the Greeks.

The next specification reveals: “. . . a stern-faced king, a

master of intrigue will arise.” Historians say that

Antiochus IV was a hoodlum, basically a leader of

bandits, not a stern faced king and a master of intrigue.

History says he was a self-indulgent and tempermental

nit wit. If he had not inherited the kingdom from his

father, historians are confident that he would not have

been able to build one. Because Antiochus IV was inept

as a king (remember, even the Romans called him a

madman), advocates of Antiochus IV claim he was

perhaps more stern-faced (as in pouting) than a master of

evil manipulation. They claim that Antiochus IV has to be

the fulfillment of the horn power of Daniel 8 because he

rose to power at the end of the Grecian period and he

caused the daily sacrifices in Jerusalem to cease for three

years. This claim may sound convincing for people who

have not examined Daniel 8, but obviously Antiochus

could neither take the daily away from the Prince of the

host (Jesus) nor did Antiochus live at the appointed time

of the end.

3. Gabriel said, “He [the horn power] will become very

strong, but not by his own power. He [will be

empowered by God as a destroyer and he] will cause

astounding devastation and will succeed in

whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men

[who stand in opposition] and the holy people [the

saints of God]. [Because he is an evil despot and totally

lawless] He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will

consider himself superior [above every god]. When

they [the wicked] feel secure [with him], he will

destroy many [of his own people] and take his stand

against the Prince of princes [Jesus Christ]. Yet he

[this invincible and awesome being] will be destroyed,

but not by human power.” (Daniel 8:24,25, insertions

mine) Paul explains how Lucifer will be destroyed, “And

then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the

Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his


mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:8) These verses bring the Antiochus

interpretation to an abrupt halt. Antiochus never became

a strong king. He did not cause astounding devastation

during his nine years on the throne. In fact, Antiochus

had very few successes. We have to put Antiochus within

the confines of historical perspective. At best, he ruled

over a tiny “state” kingdom with Rome’s permission. Did

Antiochus cause deceit to prosper throughout the world

more than any other pagan king? Did Antiochus take his

stand against the Prince of princes (the Lord Jesus)

during the appointed time of the end? If so, when did this

battle occur? Who won the battle? Did the Lord Jesus

destroy Antiochus with the brightness of His coming or

did he die in Persia from too much liquor? The Antiochus

interpretation does not come close to meeting all of the

specifications given in Daniel 8. If any doubt remains

about Antiochus IV fulfilling the specifications given in

Daniel 8, the next specification should remove it.

4. “Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another

holy one said to him, ‘How long will it take for the

vision to be fulfilled – the vision concerning the

daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation,

and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host

that will be trampled underfoot?’ He said to me, ‘It

will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the

sanctuary will be reconsecrated.’ ” (Daniel 8:13,14)

The 2,300 evenings and mornings of Daniel 8 have proven

to be an insurmountable mystery for thousands of years,

and rightly so. Without valid rules of interpretation and

an understanding of the doctrine of God’s use of parallel

temples, the purpose, the meaning and the timing of the

2,300 days cannot be accurately determined! Because

many Christian scholars believe the horn power of Daniel

8 is Antiochus IV, consider how they explain the 2,300

evenings and mornings.


Scofield’s Explanation of the 2,300 Days

Cyrus I. Scofield (1843-1921), was a writer whose theological and

prophetic views dramatically influenced Protestants during the

twentieth century. Dr. Scofield was not the first to suggest that

Antiochus IV was the horn power of Daniel 8, but he was arguably

the best. To prove that Antiochus IV was the horn power, Dr.

Scofield claimed the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14 began with the

desecration of the temple in Jerusalem (Kislev 15, 167 B.C.;

1 Maccabees 1:57) and terminated with the death of General

Nicanor on March 27, 160 B.C. According to 1 Maccabees 3, Nicanor

was one of the generals that Lysais appointed to destroy the Jews

while Antiochus was looking for someone to plunder in Persia.

According to 1 Maccabees 4:52-54, the temple was cleansed and

services resumed three years and ten days after its desecration. (See

also 2 Maccabees 10:1-8.) In other words, the number of days

between the defilement of the temple by Antiochus IV and the

reconsecration of the temple by Judas Maccabeus was 1,096 days,

less than half of the needed 2,300 days. Because Daniel 8:14

specifies 2,300 days, Scofield realized there was a problem, so he

began searching for some event that occurred 2,300 days after

Antiochus desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. The death of a

nondescript general was the only thing that Scofield could find that

even came close to 2,300 days. Rather than abandon the Antiochus

IV interpretation for a better interpretation of the horn power,

Scofield declared the 2,300 days were fulfilled by two events that do

not have 2,300 days between them. No doubt Dr. Scofield was a

sincere man, but if a person does not use valid rules of

interpretation, eventually he will end up in a corner where he has

no choice but to twist or distort the Word of God to make the pieces

fit. God said there would be 2,300 evenings and mornings – not

more, not less – before the sanctuary would be cleansed.

During the last half of the twentieth century, defenders of Scofield’s

position have been forced to acknowledge that temple services

resumed long before the 2,300 days expired. So, they argue with

weasel words that temple services were only free of “destructive

threat” after General Nicanor died. The problem with this claim is

that God says nothing about the temple being free of threat or about

the Jews enjoying freedom from destruction in Daniel 8:14. The

King James Version of Daniel 8:14 simply states, “Unto two


167

B.C.

166

B.C.

165

B.C.

164

B.C.

163

B.C.

162

B.C.

161

B.C.

160

B.C.

159

B.C.

x y z

thousand three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be

cleansed.” (or reconsecrated, NIV) The following chart shows how

Scofield defined the 2,300 days. The dates are taken from

1 Maccabees 1:57; 4:52 and 7:43.

Scofield’s Understanding of the 2,300 Days

Chart 4.3

x = December 6, 167 B.C. Antiochus IV desecrated temple.

y = December 16, 164 B.C. Temple cleansed and services resume.

z = March 27, 160 B.C. General Nicanor killed.

The 2,300 days are calculated as follows:

360 + 360 + 360 + 360 + 360 + 360 + 110 = 2,270

add 30 days per seven years for calendar adjustment 30

Total time 2,300 days

Here are five major problems with Scofield’s interpretation:

Problem 1: 1 Maccabees 4:52 says the temple in Jerusalem was

cleansed and services restored years before General Nicanor was

killed. So, Nicanor’s death has nothing to do with the cleansing of

the temple!

Problem 2: The calendar presented in Chart 4.3 is based on the

supposition that the Jews observed a 360-day year. Advocates of

this dating scheme calculate the time between December 6, 167, and

March 27, 160 B.C., to be 2,270 days. Then they add one month of 30

days for calendar adjustment because a solar year is 365.242 days in

length. The total time, according to this formula, adds up to 2,300 days.


This view of the 2,300 days has no merit. First, there is no historical

evidence showing the Jews ever observed a 360-day year. The

Jewish year is either 354 or 384 days in length depending on the

cycles of the moon – never 360 days. Even if the Jews did observe a

360-day year, the adjustment of 30 days every seven years does not

resolve the problem of solar alignment which is critical for planting

crops. In seven years, a proper alignment with the arrival of Spring

requires an adjustment of 36.7 days, not 30 days if one is using a

360 day calendar. If the Jews used a 360-day calendar with a 30-day

correction every seven years, their calendar would be 27 days out of

alignment with the sun in 28 years. No agricultural nation could

survive this kind of error in their calendar.

Problem 3: Dr. Scofield knew the time-frame between the

desecration of the temple and the death of General Nicanor was not

precisely 2,300 days, so he declared God’s prophetic time-periods to

be “indeterminate” (not very precise). Scofield, commenting on the

seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24, wrote these words: “In this connection

it should be remembered that, in the grand sweep of prophecy,

prophetic time is invariably so near as to give full warning, so

indeterminate as to give no satisfaction to mere curiosity.” (See the

Scofield Reference Bible, commentary on Daniel 9:24.) Does Scofield

mean that once we find something “close enough” to fit within a

prophetic time-period, we can declare a prophetic mystery solved?

How can an omniscient God not know the actual number of days

between two events? In Daniel 12, God mentions two specific time

periods having 1,290 days and 1,335 days. Revelation 20 speaks of

1,000 years. Revelation 13:5 speaks of 42 months and Revelation

11:9 speaks of 3.5 days. Does God regard these time-periods as

indeterminate? Of course not! Scofield “imposed” a bad

interpretation onto Daniel 8:14 and then justified a poor fit for the

2,300 days by declaring God’s Word to be “indeterminate.” If God

can number the hairs of our heads, if God can number the stars of

the sky, if God created the precise pulses of atomic energy in

billionths of a second, surely He can accurately count the span of

days between two events.

Problem 4: An issue affecting the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14 exists

which Scofield did not resolve. We know that the “time, times and

half a time” in Daniel 7:25 represents 1,260 years. The Bible

confirms this point. (See Revelation 12:6,14.) Bible history confirms


that God sometimes translates a day for a year so that 1,260 days

would represent 1,260 years. This is not unusual. Most scholars

agree that the “seventy weeks” in Daniel 9:24 have to be translated

as 490 years because of the day/year principle found in the Jubilee

Calendar. Because the 2,300 days in Daniel 8 and the seventy

weeks in Daniel 9 begin at the same time (this point will be

demonstrated in our study on Daniel 9), they share the same

translation. In other words, the 2,300 days represent 2,300 years

because the seventy weeks represent 490 years. In fact, the seventy

weeks of Daniel 9 are “cut off” from the 2,300 days in Daniel 8! The

matrix is at work and the timing in Daniel and Revelation fits

together like hand and glove. God measures the time-periods in

Daniel 7, Daniel 8 and Daniel 9 according to the day/year operation

of the Jubilee Calendar. (Leviticus 25) This is why Rule Four states:

“God measures apocalyptic time according to the presence or absence

of the Jubilee Calendar.” Scofield should have translated the 2,300

days as 2,300 years.

Problem 5: Scofield claims the bitter persecution of the Jews under

Antiochus IV ended with the death of General Nicanor. History says

just the opposite. In fact, life for the Jews only became worse after

Nicanor was killed. For example, King Demetrius killed Judas

Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 9:18) about 2 months after Nicanor died.

Then, about a year after the death of Nicanor in May, 159 B.C.,

“Alcimus ordered the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary to be

torn down, thus destroying the work of the prophets.” (1 Maccabees

9:54) The book of 1 Maccabees records that many wars were inflicted

on Israel after Nicanor’s death. Thus, the persecution of the Jews

did not cease with the death of General Nicanor. History discredits

Scofield’s explanation of the 2,300 days.

Given the evidence presented thus far, advocates of Antiochus face

insurmountable issues: The temple in Jerusalem was not free from

threat after the death of Nicanor. The length of time between the

Antiochus’ desecration of the temple and Nicanor’s death was not

2,300 days. Jewish persecution did not end after Nicanor died. The

2,300 days of Daniel 8:14 cannot begin with the conduct of Antiochus

IV and end with the death of General Nicanor. Nicanor’s death does

not have anything to do with the cleansing of the temple in

Jerusalem. When the “interpretation” of Antiochus is closely

examined, claims of fulfillment do not even come close to meeting all


of the specifications given in Daniel 8. Given the specifications in

Daniel 8, it is amazing that millions of Christians accept Scofield’s

position without question.

Section V - Heaven and Earth Linked Together with

2,300 Days

With God Timing Is Everything

God created the orbit of the electrons spinning around the nucleus of

the cesium atom. This demonstrates that He is very capable of

measuring time. If the cesium atom can be used to create an atomic

clock that does not vary by more than one second in a hundred

million years, surely God can measure time! I make this point

because when it comes to timing and punctuality, no one in the

universe is more precise than God! The God who said there would

be 2,300 evenings and mornings before the sanctuary would be

cleansed is the same God who said seventy weeks would be granted

to Israel in Daniel 9. Surely the Lord God knows what He is talking

about! Look at His punctuality with Israel at the Exodus: “At the

end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions

left Egypt. Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring

them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep

vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.” (Exodus

12:41,42, italics mine) Consider the timing of the birth of Jesus:

“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of

a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that

we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4, italics

mine) God is never late. God is never wrong. With God, timing is

everything!

Look up! The Event Is Not on Earth

The 2,300 days is placed in Daniel 8 for a very good reason, if you

are aware of two prerequisites. First, you need to know about the

historical matrix which the four rules produce. Second, you have to

understand the essential doctrine that explains God’s use of parallel

temple services. (See Chapters 11 and 12 in Jesus, The Alpha and

The Omega.) When these two prerequisites are combined, we can


determine when Jesus began to cleanse Heaven’s temple and why it

must be cleansed. God connected the cleansing of Heaven’s temple

with the ram (the kingdom of the Medes and Persians). The

connection between the ram and the cleansing of Heaven’s temple is

precisely 2,300 years in length. The countdown of 2,300 years began

when the Persian, King Artaxerxes, issued a decree to restore and

rebuild Jerusalem in 457 B.C. (Ezra 7) Because God tied the decree

of Artaxerxes to a yardstick that was 2,300 years in length, we can

easily calculate the date when the cleansing of God’s temple began

in Heaven. Even though we cannot see the event taking place in

Heaven, we know it began in 1844. We will also see, when we

examine the seventy weeks of Daniel 9 and the seven seals in

Revelation, that the dates of 1798 and 1844 are highly important

dates in Heaven’s sequence of events.

1,150 Days?

Some people have tried to divide the 2,300 evenings and mornings

so that this time-period is 1,150 literal days (1,150 evenings + 1,150

mornings = 2,300 evenings and mornings), but, this timing scheme

does not work for several reasons. First, the Hebrew words ‘erab and

boqer go together to form one unit of time. They literally mean

“evening and morning,” as in one day. Notice how ‘erab and boger

are used on the first page of the Bible: “And God called the light

Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening

[‘erab] and the morning [boqer] were the first day.” (Genesis 1:5,

KJV) According to God’s method for measuring time, a “day” has an

evening and a morning. A day begins at sundown (evening) and the

midway point through the day is sunrise (morning). (Leviticus

23:32) Translators of the King James Version recognized this fact

and they translated the 2,300 evenings and mornings of Daniel 8:14

as 2,300 days. New International Version translators were more

literal with the text, translating it as “2,300 evenings and

mornings.”

Unfortunately, most Christians do not understand the doctrine of

God’s use of parallel temples. If a person does not understand the

cleansing of Earth’s temple, he cannot understand the cleansing of

Heaven’s temple. If a person does not understand God’s purpose in

cleansing Heaven’s temple, then the timing of this event is of no


value. If God’s use of parallel temples was better understood,

Christians could understand that the temple to be cleansed is not on

Earth, but in Heaven! Bible students tend to interpret Bible

prophecy as though Earth was the center of prophecy, but this is not

the case. Daniel was directed to view a great convocation in Heaven.

He saw a service when the Ancient of Days took His seat and

billions of angels were in attendance. This heavenly meeting is

profoundly important because it marks the beginning of services in

Heaven’s temple that lead up to the end of the world. The services

in Heaven’s temple are directly linked to the final events that occur

on Earth. Remember the Heaven-Earth-Linkage-Law?

Five clues in the Bible indicate the temple to be cleansed in Daniel

8:14 is in Heaven:

First, the doctrine of parallel temples teaches there were two

temples. The one on Earth was a shadow of the real temple in

Heaven where our Jesus serves as our High Priest. (Hebrews 8:1-5)

We know the earthly temple was destroyed by the Romans in A.D.

70. The only temple remaining is in Heaven.

Second, the cleansing of the earthly temple occurred at an

appointed time every year – on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16),

but the heavenly temple is cleansed only once – at the appointed

time of the end! (Hebrews 9:24-26)

Third, the 2,300 evenings and mornings must be translated as

2,300 years because God uses the Jubilee Calendar to translate a

day into a year. (This point and the Jubilee Calendar will be

discussed at length when we examine the seventy weeks of Daniel

9.) The 2,300 years began in the Spring of 457 B.C. and they ended

in the Spring of 1844.

Fourth, the cleansing of Heaven’s temple began in 1844. This date

aligns with 1798 which marks the year the great convocation in

Heaven’s temple began. (See Chart 4.4.) In fact, the timing of the

great convocation in Daniel 7 (1798) and the cleansing of the

sanctuary in Daniel 8 (1844), aligns with the seventy weeks in

Daniel 9 (457 B.C.), and these three events align with the opening of

the third seal in Revelation 6. The matrix is building!


Daniel 8

|<--457 B.C. ----------------2300 Day/Years-----------------1844 -->| The Time of the End

Ram with

Two Horns

Artaxerxes

Issues

Decree in

457 B.C.

Goat

with

One

Great

Horn --

then

Four

Horns

Temple

Cleansing

Begins in

Heaven

Judgmen-

t of the

Living

Horn

Power

from the

North

Stern

Faced

King

Daniel 7

Medo

Persia

Bear with

Three Ribs

Grecia

Leopard

with

Four

Heads

Rome

Monster

10

Horns

at First

1,260 Day/Years

A.D. 538 to 1798 Books

Opened

Guilt

Assigned

to Guilt

Bearer

Little

Horn

Recovers

and is

Heard

Boasting

Beasts are

Destroyed

in the Fire

at the End

Little

Horn

Rises,

Uproots

3 Horns

Court

Seated

in

Heaven

Little

Horn

Falls on

Earth

The 2,300 Days of Daniel 8:14

Chart 4.4

Fifth, the remarks that follow do not begin to cover the scope and

breadth of the subject of parallel temples (Hebrews 8:1-5), but a few

words may be necessary about the annual service of cleansing the

earthly temple, so you can understand the marvelous parallel that

exists between the earthly temple and the heavenly temple. Again,

the doctrine of parallel temples is a prerequisite doctrine for

understanding Daniel 8.

The angel said, “. . .Unto two thousand three hundred days,

then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” (Daniel 8:14, KJV) Why

does the sanctuary in Heaven need cleansing? The answer to this

question is found in the cleansing of the earthly temple. The

cleansing of the earthly temple was an annual event that occurred

on the tenth day of the seventh month. This day was called the Day

of Atonement. Jews today call it Yom Kippur, which means Day of

Judgment. The cleansing of the earthly temple was necessary

because it was defiled by sinners bringing sin offerings to the

temple. The sinner, standing at the Altar of Burnt Offering,

confessed his sins over the head of his sacrifice. Then, he cut the

jugular vein of the sacrificial animal with his own hands. The priest


then captured some of the lamb’s blood and sprinkled this blood on

the horns of the altar. This procedure shadows a divine truth. The

sinner’s guilt was transferred away from himself and his family to

the Altar of Burnt Offering by the blood of the Lamb.

This earthly process was a shadow or pantomime of a reality that

was coming. The guilt of sinners could be transferred to Heaven’s

temple through the death of Jesus (the Lamb of God). When the

blood was applied to the horns of the altar, the altar became defiled

because the guilt of the sinner had been transferred to it. The

process of setting sinners free of the guilt of sin defiles the temple

because the sinner’s guilt is transferred to the altar. Because the

altars of the temple were depositories of guilt, the earthly temple

was defiled until the Day for Cleansing (the Day of Atonement)

arrived. For a single day, the earthly temple was restored to an

undefiled state. (Leviticus 16) Then, on the following day, sacrifices

resumed and the temple was defiled because the annual cycle

started over.

How Jesus Cleanses the Temple in Heaven

Unlike the earthly temple, which was cleansed annually, Heaven’s

temple is cleansed once, at the end of the age. (Hebrews 9:24-26)

This cleansing began in 1844, which is 2,300 years after the decree

to restore and rebuild Jerusalem given by Artaxerxes in 457 B.C.

(457 B.C. also marks the beginning of the seventy weeks in Daniel

9.) The Day of Atonement service in the earthly temple was a

shadow of the plan of salvation. Notice what the shadow reveals:

Two animals, a bull and a goat, were sacrificed in this service.

(Leviticus 16) The service began right after day break with the

slaying of a bull that belonged to the high priest. This bull (a very

expensive sacrifice) represents the sacrifice which the Father made

in order to redeem mankind. “For God so loved the world that

He gave His only begotten Son . . .” (John 3:16, KJV) The Father

gave up the most valuable asset He could provide so fallen man

could have the offer of salvation. After the bull was slain, the high

priest carried some of the bull’s blood behind the veil into the Most

Holy Place where he met with God. The high priest had to be found

worthy to cleanse the temple before he could conduct the service.

The slaying of the bull and the worthiness of the high priest


shadows the sacrifice which the Father made and the qualifying

process which Jesus our High Priest underwent before He could

conclude the sin problem. (See Revelation 4 and 5.)

The next event on the Day of Atonement was the casting of lots to

determine which goat should die. After the lots were cast, the Lord’s

goat was slain. The Lord’s goat represents the death which Jesus

was willing to experience in order to save man. A goat was used for

this sacrifice because a goat has a free spirit. Jesus freely gave up

His life for sinners. After the Lord’s goat was slain, its blood was

mixed with the bull’s blood. Then, the high priest went behind the

veil a second time to begin the cleansing of the temple. The first

item to be cleansed was the Ark of the Covenant. The second item

was the Altar of Incense and the last item to be cleansed was the

Altar of Burnt Offering. These items were cleansed in this order and

they became free of sin (cleansed, reconsecrated, restored) when the

mixed blood of the bull and goat was sprinkled on them.

The last event in this service was the laying of hands on the head of

the scapegoat. The scapegoat represents Lucifer, the author of sin,

who freely exercised his power of choice to commit sin. After the

temple furniture had been made holy with the sprinkling of blood,

the high priest placed his hands on the head of the scapegoat.

Through the placement of hands on the scapegoat, the sins of the

people (which had been stored on the temple’s altars) were

transferred onto the head of the scapegoat. Then, the scapegoat was

led out into the wilderness to slowly starve to death.

This may come as a shock, but in God’s economy, sin is never

forgiven because someone other than God is responsible for sin. The

beauty of salvation is that sinners can escape the penalty of sin

through faith. If a sinner makes restitution for his sin and confesses

his sin to God, he transfers his guilt to Heaven’s temple. At the end

of the 1,000 years in Revelation 20, Lucifer, the scapegoat, will

receive all of the guilt transferred into Heaven’s temple because he

is responsible for the presence of sin. On the other hand, if a sinner

does not transfer his sin to the temple, his sins remain upon his own

head and in God’s economy, the wages of sin is eternal death.

(Romans 6:23) At the end of the 1,000 years, God will execute

justice on the scapegoat and the wicked and they will suffer in

proportion to their guilt until they are annihilated. This is the

meaning of divine justice.


The Temple to be Cleansed Is in Heaven

The cleansing of the earthly temple shadows a process that began in

Heaven in 1844. It is interesting to notice that 1844 is exactly forty-

six years after 1798. When Jesus began His ministry on Earth, His

first action after returning from fasting in the desert was the

cleansing of a temple that took forty-six years to restore! (John 2:13-21)

The parallel is that Jesus began cleansing the heavenly temple

forty-six years after the twenty-five thrones had been arranged and

the convocation in Heaven began!

Before the cleansing of Heaven’s temple could begin, someone had to

be found worthy to conduct the process. Jesus was found worthy to

cleanse Heaven’s temple. After Jesus was found worthy, both Daniel

(Daniel 7:13,14) and John (Revelation 4 and 5) saw Jesus highly

exalted. Daniel 7 and Revelation 4 and 5 describe the same scene

from slightly different angles. After Jesus was found worthy to

cleanse Heaven’s temple, He began passing judgment on the records

of the dead. Since the Spring of 1844, Jesus has been going through

the books of record – one sinner at a time. Standing before the hosts

of Heaven, Jesus has been deciding who will be a part of His eternal

kingdom and who will not. When Jesus determines a person will be

saved, Jesus removes the record of sin from Heaven’s book and He

transfers the guilt of the sinner to the head of Lucifer. When Jesus

determines a person cannot be saved, Jesus places the guilt of that

sinner on the sinner’s head. The point is that the temple in Heaven

is cleansed as the guilt of sin is removed and placed on the

appropriate party. (Leviticus 20; Ezekiel 11:21; 22:31; 18:1-24)

When the time comes for the destruction of sinners at the end of the

1,000 years, every wicked person will suffer the appropriate penalty

for his sins. God will see that every condemned sinner gets their

due reward: “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge;

I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is

a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

(Hebrews 10:30,31)

Jesus will complete the task of judging mankind during the Great

Tribulation. People living during the Great Tribulation will not be

judged in the same way as those who have died. The faith of people

living at that time will be tested with persecution. In this way, they

will choose and determine their eternal destiny. At the sounding of


the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19) the cleansing of Heaven’s

temple will be finished and the temple will at last, be free of sin.

(Revelation 15:1-8) The book of Revelation reveals much more about

this process, but this synopsis is intended to give you a general

overview of the judgment process. Consider these comments by

Bible writers:

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the

matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the

whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into

judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good

or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14, italics mine)

“Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all

judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they

honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not

honor the Father, who sent him.” (John 5:22,23, italics mine)

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,

that each one may receive what is due him for the things

done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthains

5:10)

“For he [the Father] has set a day when he will judge the

world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has

given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

(Acts 17:31, insertion and italics mine)

“As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the

judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough

for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send

for you.’” (Acts 24:25, italics mine)

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will

give to everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation

22:12)

Remember that the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14 have been a great

mystery for most Bible students. The reason for the mystery is

quite simple. The event to which this prophecy points is not on

Earth, but in Heaven. God uses the Heaven-Earth-Linkage-Law

again to inform us of the timing of something we cannot see. God

put the kingdoms of Medo-Persia and Grecia in Daniel 8 because the


2,300 days began during the time of Medo-Persia. Then, God linked

the decree of a Persian king (Artaxerxes, Ezra 7) with the cleansing

of Heaven’s temple in 1844 by inserting a 2,300 year time-period in

the prophecy of Daniel 8. (Review Chart 4.4 and notice how Daniel 7

and Daniel 8 align.)

A starting date for the 2,300 years is not mentioned in Daniel 8

because the starting date is given in Daniel 9. To make matters

more mysterious, the cleansing of the temple is in Heaven and not

on Earth! No wonder this time-period has been a great mystery for

nearly twenty-six centuries! Fortunately, God has revealed the

architecture of Daniel and we can determine when the 2,300

evenings and mornings began. We will find in our study on Daniel 9

that the seventy weeks and 2,300 days start together and we will

find that Daniel 7, Daniel 8, Daniel 9 and Revelation 4 and 5

perfectly align. I hope you will be patient enough to allow the

prophetic matrix to build. My frustration, as the author of this book,

is in trying to explain why each piece of prophecy belongs in a

certain place (according to the rules) before all the pieces that

belong to the story have been identified! Therefore, all I can ask at

the present is that you allow the matrix to place each new piece in

its place.

Section VI - The Horn Power in Daniel 8 Cannot be the

Papacy

The Time of Wrath

The Reformation Christians believed the horn power of Daniel 8

represented the papacy and some Christians today believe the same

thing. Let us briefly examine this view. Gabriel told Daniel, “. . . I

am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of

wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the

end.” (Daniel 8:19) Since the ram and goat represent ancient

empires, this leaves the horn power as the only element in this

vision that can appear at “the appointed time of the end.” This

vision includes a prophetic span of 2,300 evenings and mornings, so

the appointed time of the end has to occur after 1844! In other


words, the horn power described in Daniel 8 does not appear prior to

1844. This simple fact eliminates the Roman Catholic Church as a

possible candidate for the horn power of Daniel 8 because the

Roman Catholic Church achieved absolute power in A.D. 538. The

little horn of Daniel 7 and the horn power of Daniel 8 cannot be the

same entity for the following reasons:

1. The little horn of Daniel 7 rises out of the Roman empire.

The horn power of Daniel 8 does not derive its strength

from Rome or any nation. The horn power in Daniel 8 is a

power unto itself. It appears out of one of the four winds,

specifically, the north.

2. The little horn of Daniel 7 arises in A.D. 538 after the ten

horns have broken the Roman empire. The horn power of

Daniel 8 has to appear after 1844 because it appears

during the appointed time of the end.

3. The little horn of Daniel 7 represents a diverse or

different type of kingdom (Daniel 7:8) that wars against

the saints for a very long time (1,260 years). The little

horn in Daniel 7 was unlike the remaining seven horns in

that it had eyes and a mouth. The horn power of Daniel 8

represents a man, a stern-faced king who will take “the

daily” away from Jesus during the appointed time of the

end. As we will see, taking the daily away from Jesus is

something that no ordinary mortal can do, not even a

pope!

4. Daniel 7 predicts the papacy will recover from its wound

and speak boastfully against the Most High. Revelation

13:1-5 confirms the deadly wound will be healed at the

time of the end, but Daniel 8 reveals that the Antichrist

will destroy the authority of the papacy by casting all

religions to the ground and trampling on them. The

Antichrist “will exalt himself over everything that is

called God” by means of the miracles he has power to do.

(2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14) The Antichrist

will abolish all religious systems, including the papacy, to

establish his global religion. The stern-faced king in

Daniel 8 will lead the world to war against the King of

kings, and the prince of darkness will take his stand


against the Prince of Heaven’s hosts (Jesus, King of kings)

at the Second Coming.

5. The horn power in Daniel 8 cannot be destroyed by

human power. This feature stands in contrast to the fact

that the little horn in Daniel 7 is subject to mortality. The

papacy was almost destroyed by the sword (war) in 1798.

6. Daniel 11:36-12:3 contributes several important points to

the apocalyptic matrix. Even though we have not studied

Daniel 10-12, this prophecy amplifies the works and

activities of the horn power in Daniel 8. The king of the

north in Daniel 11:36 and the stern-faced king that comes

out of the north in Daniel 8 are the same entity. The

papacy cannot meet all of the specifications that go with

the horn power of Daniel 8. A study of Revelation 9 and

Revelation 13:11-18, will show the Antichrist, the

physical appearing of Lucifer with millions of his angels,

to be the only solution that satisfies all of the

specifications for this power in the books of Daniel and

Revelation.

Section VII - The Termination of the Daily

The Antichrist Will Take the Daily Away from Jesus

The wording of Daniel 8:13 is difficult to understand at first: “Then

I heard a holy one [angel] speaking, and another holy one

[angel] said to him, ‘How long will it take for the vision to be

fulfilled – the vision concerning the [cessation of the] daily

sacrifice, the [vision concerning a great] rebellion that causes

desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the

host [of saints] that will be trampled underfoot?’ ” (Insertions

mine) To help you understand this question better, here is a

paraphrase of Daniel 8:13: “Daniel heard one angel speak to

another angel. The first angel said, ‘How long will it take for this

vision of the ram, the goat, and the horn power to be fulfilled?”

When the question is phrased this way, the answer that follows

makes sense. Daniel writes, “And I heard a man’s voice from


the Ulai [canal] calling, ‘Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of

the vision.’ As he came near the place where I was standing, I

was terrified and fell prostrate. ‘Son of man,’ he said to me,

‘understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.’ ”

(Daniel 8:16,17, insertion and italics mine) It is clear that the

question in verse 13 is finally answered in verses 16 and 17. You

may wonder why the actual question in verse 13 is worded in such a

complex way. God is both deliberate and purposeful in everything

He does. With one question and one answer God informs us that the

appointed time of the end involves four great issues:

1. The termination of the daily

2. A rebellion that causes desolation

3. The surrender of Heaven’s sanctuary

4. God’s people will be trampled underfoot

We have examined Daniel 8:11 within the context of Antiochus IV.

Let us examine it again, this time within the context of the

Antichrist and the appointed time of the end. This approach will

yield a much better fulfillment of Scripture. Gabriel said, “It [the

horn power will] set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the

host [Jesus]; it took away the daily sacrifice from him [Jesus],

and the place of his [Jesus’] sanctuary was brought low.”

(Daniel 8:11, insertions mine) The word “daily” is a term that

describes the daily cycle of services that occurred in the earthly

temple. Every day, evening and morning, a lamb was slain on the

Altar of Burnt Offering and its blood was sprinkled on the Altar of

Incense. Every day, sinners presented their sacrifices at the Altar of

Burnt Offering. These rituals, and many other services became

known as the “daily” or the “continual.” They shadowed the

intercession that Jesus began making on behalf of humanity the day

sin occurred as well as His death on Calvary. The immediate

intercession of Jesus spared Adam and Eve from sudden death the

day they sinned. (Genesis 2:17) The Father allowed Adam and Eve

(and their offspring) to live because of Christ’s intercession on their

behalf. (Genesis 2:17; Hebrews 7:25) Gabriel indicates the coming

Antichrist will take away Jesus’ daily intercession in Heaven’s

temple. Christ’s intercession for man is terminated in one of four


ways. Notice how two ways concern the individual and two ways

concern corporate bodies of people:

1. When a person dies, life terminates. The dead

know nothing. There is no need for further

intercession. (Ecclesiastes 9:5,6)

2. If a person commits the unpardonable sin,

intercession for that person ends because there is

nothing more that God can do to bring a person to

repentance. There is no forgiveness for the

unpardonable sin. (Hebrews 10:26, Matthew

12:31,32)

3. When a decadent nation exhausts the limits of

God’s patience, corporate intercession ends and

that nation is destroyed. (Genesis 15:16; Leviticus

4:13,14; 18:24-28; Jeremiah 25)

4. When God’s patience with the decadence of the

world reaches its limit, He sends destruction.

(Genesis 6; Matthew 24:37)

Corporate and Personal Intercession Ends

You may wonder how the Antichrist can take away the daily

intercession from Jesus during the appointed time of the end. The

termination of the daily happens twice because daily services in

Heaven’s temple involves atonement at two altars. The corporate

altar is called the Altar of Incense and its services will be concluded

first. (Daniel 12:11; Revelation 8:2-5) The individual altar is called

the Altar of Burnt Offering and its services will be terminated at the

seventh trumpet. (Daniel 8:11-13; Revelation 11:15-19). The

corporate daily ends when the majority of the world stands in

rebellion against the authority of God. As it was in the days of Noah;

God’s patience will come to an end. We know His patience can come

to an end with a city of people (e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah) or with

the whole world as it did in Noah’s day. When this happens, He

sends a series of judgments to destroy those who have exhausted

His grace. (Genesis 6; Revelation 7:1-4 and 8:2-13) On the

individual level, the termination of the daily is similar: When the

devil leads a person to finally commit the unpardonable sin

(persistently rejecting the demands of the Holy Spirit) God’s


patience with that person comes to an end and God turns that

person over to be subject to the devil. (Matthew 12:31,32; Hebrews

10:26) When a person, a nation, or the whole world refuses to

surrender to the clearest evidences of God’s will, Jesus will no

longer offer intercession for them. Why should He? For this reason,

Jesus’ corporate intercession for Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and

Rome ended and the kingdoms fell. (See Daniel 5.)

We see a parallel on the individual level as well. During the Great

Tribulation, God will empower His servants, the 144,000, to

proclaim the terms and conditions of salvation to every nation,

kindred, tongue and people. The Antichrist will lead the wicked of

Earth into committing the unpardonable sin. He will lead them to

rebel against the authority of God and despise the generous offer of

salvation from Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 2:11,12; Romans 1:18-32;

Hebrews 10:29) Thus, the daily intercession of Jesus on behalf of the

world and individuals will be taken away.

Some people will not voluntarily go along with the devil’s schemes.

God knows this and He empowers the Antichrist to bring an end to

Christ’s intercession by forcing people to make a hard choice. There

will be no middle ground. The devil will require worship (obedience)

and all who refuse to submit to his assumed authority are to be

killed. (Revelation 13:15) The “salvation” which the Antichrist offers

will be the temporal privilege of obtaining the necessities of life

during the final days of the Great Tribulation. In other words, if a

person chooses to join forces with the devil and receive the mark of

the beast, that person will be able to buy and sell so that he can

survive. If a person refuses the mark of the beast, that person will

be shut off from all earthly means of survival to starve or be killed.

When every decision for or against salvation has been made, Jesus’

intercession for that person ends.

Gabriel also said, “. . . and the place of his [Jesus’] sanctuary was

brought low.” The exalted ministry of man’s Savior in Heaven’s

temple will become a matter of mockery (brought low through

contempt). During the Great Tribulation, a majority of people will be

convinced the devil is God! (2 Thessalonians 2) In other words, the

unseen ministry and temple of Jesus in Heaven will not be able to

compete with the dazzling show of miracles which the Antichrist

conducts. However, the heavenly temple will be physically displayed


to everyone living on Earth after the daily has ended. (Revelation

11:19)

Rebellion Will Overtake the World

Consider this next verse: “Because of rebellion, the host of the

saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it [the

Antichrist]. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was

thrown to the ground.” (Daniel 8:12, insertion) This verse aligns

with many details in Revelation. The following is a short scenario of

this verse:

When the Great Tribulation begins, the Holy Spirit will be poured

out on all nations and people. The purpose of the Spirit’s influence

is to pry open every heart to receive the gospel message that God’s

servants, the 144,000, will present. Jesus will send the Holy Spirit

for one purpose, to save as many people as possible. Sadly, billions

of people will refuse to submit to the demands of the Holy Spirit,

and they will choose rebellion (lawlessness) against God. When the

advance of the gospel stalls, God allows “the stern-face king,” the

destroyer, to physically appear. The mission of the Antichrist is to

deceive and destroy. As the devil’s popularity grows (it starts out

small), the wicked people of Earth will be divided into two camps.

One camp will be the “religious wicked” and the other camp will

consist of wicked people who want nothing to do with the devil.

They just want him to go away and leave them alone. The “religious

wicked” will be people like the Pharisees in Christ’s day who

stubbornly hang on to false religion. These people would rather

believe that Lucifer is God than to submit to the authority of Jesus

Christ. These people appear to be religious, but they do not love

truth. They do not even love God. These are people who chase

miraculous signs instead of searching for truth. The other camp, the

“non-religious wicked,” consists of people like Hitler and Stalin who

have no use for God and they detest Lucifer’s heavy handed ways. They

will not accept the authority and dominion of the Antichrist. The “non-

religious wicked” are represented in Daniel 11:36-12:3 as the kingdom

of the South. In other words, the kingdom of the South is poles apart

from the kingdom of the North. The Antichrist will use their rebellion

against his authority to justify their destruction. Of course, the devil

will destroy many saints for the same reason. The war described in

the sixth trumpet (Revelation 9) is conducted to establish Lucifer’s

undisputed dominion over Earth. (Revelation 9:13-21) Revelation


says the devil and his angels will kill one-third of mankind (the non-

religious wicked). When he has gained control of Earth, the devil

will divide up the spoils of Earth and he will appoint ten kings to

rule over ten sectors. His puppet kings will control Earth. The

surviving saints will run for their lives and hide in the desolate

places of Earth. God will feed and sustain them just as He did

Elijah. (1 Kings 17:6) With this setting in mind, consider Daniel’s

words again. I have inserted phrases that complete the ideas

already presented: “[At the time of the end] It [the horn power, the

Antichrist will] set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the

host [Jesus]; it took away the [need for the] daily sacrifice from

him, and the [exalted purpose or] place of his [intercession for

sinners in Heaven’s] sanctuary was brought low [ridiculed].

Because of [extensive] rebellion, the host of the saints [*were

defeated] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it [brought

to an end]. It [the Antichrist] prospered in everything it did,

and truth was thrown to the ground [because truth was

despised].” (Daniel 8:11,12, insertions mine.)

Arrogance and Blasphemy

“He [the Antichrist] will cause deceit to prosper, and he will

consider himself superior [above the gods of all religions]. When

they [his followers] feel secure [in his lies], he will destroy many

[the non-religious-wicked] and take his stand against the Prince

of princes [Jesus]. Yet he will be destroyed [by the sword that

comes out of the mouth of Jesus], but not by human power.”

(Daniel 8:25, insertions mine ) The following specification about the

horn power cannot be overlooked: “The king [of the North] will do

as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every

god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods.

He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for

what has been [pre-]determined must take place. . . . He [the

Antichrist] will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the

beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no

one will help him.” (Daniel 11:36,45)

Four elements stand out in these verses.

1. Jesus Himself destroys the horn power in Daniel 8.

(Daniel 8:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:8)

* See Revelation 13:7.


2. The horn power of Daniel 8 will lead the whole

world into a great deception. (Daniel 8:25;

Revelation 13:14)

3. The horn power of Daniel 8 will exalt himself

above all of the gods that people worship. (Daniel

8:25, 11:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4)

4. The Antichrist will pitch his royal tents “between

the seas at the beautiful holy mountain.”

Daniel indicates the devil will establish a throne in Jerusalem.

What better way to stop the controversies between Christians,

Arabs and Jews? The term “holy mountain” is used several times in

the Old Testament as a reference to Jerusalem (the city of God,

Mount Zion, Mount Moriah, etc.). It is well known that Jews,

Muslims and Christians have roots in this ancient city. Perhaps the

best reason for interpreting this specification just as it reads is that

at the end, two kings will take their stand against each other. The

stern-faced king of Daniel 8 establishes his kingdom and rules from

ancient Jerusalem. The King of kings, however, will rule from His

city, New Jerusalem. This is good news! The stern-faced king will

come to his end and no one among the wicked will be left to help

him!

Gabriel’s Final Words

“The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been

given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the

distant future.” (Daniel 8:26) With these words, Gabriel left

Daniel. It is interesting that Gabriel gave this vision a title. While

the prophetic sequence concerns a ram, a goat, the appointed time of

the end and a stern-faced king, Gabriel called it “The vision of the

[2,300] evenings and mornings.” Evidently, Gabriel used this title to

highlight the critical element within this vision. The most

important element in Daniel 8 is the daily services in Heaven’s

temple. The daily intercession of Jesus is the only thing that

protects mankind from God’s wrath and the wrath of the destroyer!

Even the words, 2,300 evenings and mornings reflects the time of

day when daily temple services were conducted. The date for

cleansing Heaven’s temple was given in temple language! The

bottom line in Daniel 8 is that a time is coming when the stern-faced


king (the Antichrist) will cause Jesus’ daily intercession to cease. This

is the worst possible thing that can happen to Earth’s inhabitants,

because when Jesus terminates His intercession on behalf of sinners,

the seven bowls of God’s wrath will be poured out without mercy.

(Revelation 15 and 16)

Daniel was deeply distressed and very disturbed after seeing this

vision. He did not understand what he had seen, but he did

recognize enough to know the world would continue to spiral

downward until Lucifer himself would be released upon humanity.

The thought of this must have made him sick. Daniel writes, “ I,

Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got

up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the

vision; it was beyond understanding.” (Daniel 8:27)

Conclusion

This chapter has been lengthy because Daniel 8 contains several

critical building blocks in the matrix that is unfolding. If you still

have questions, please review this chapter to make sure you

understand how the apocalyptic rules work and the results they

produce. If the apocalyptic foundations in Daniel 2, Daniel 7 and

Daniel 8 are not laid properly, the remaining prophecies in Daniel

and Revelation cannot yield their intended meaning. If the

foundation of a skyscraper is not solid, no amount of paint or

ornamentation will compensate for it. We have seen all four rules at

work in this chapter. The four rules have produced these conclusions

for us:

Rule One. Daniel 8 is a prophecy that has a beginning point in

time (538 B.C.) and an ending point in time (the destruction of the

Antichrist at the Second Coming). The events in this prophecy occur

in the order they were given: Ram – Goat – Horn Power.

Rule Two. The appearing of the Antichrist during the appointed

time of the end is the only interpretation that meets all of the

specifications given in this prophecy.

Rule Three. The Bible uses various types of language in this

prophecy. For example, by reviewing seven Bible texts we found the

direction of “north” to be very significant for the origin of the horn

power. We also found “the starry hosts” to be used in five texts as a

broad definition for false religions.


Rule Four. God measures the 2,300 days as years because God

measures time according to the presence or absence of the Jubilee

Calendar. This point will be amplified in our study of Daniel 9.

Note: The Origin of the Antiochus IV Interpretation

From the 1500’s to the 1900’s, Protestants widely agreed the horn

power of Daniel 8 was the papacy because Protestantism struggled

against the Roman Catholic Church in much the same way that

Christians struggled against Judaism. If history teaches anything, it

is this: Religious institutions place loyalty and allegiance above the

importance of truth. The reason behind this is simple. Over time,

religious organizations embrace a collection of doctrines or teachings

which they believe to be God’s will and any significant deviation

from that body of knowledge is considered divisive and/or heretical.

During the 1,260 years of papal dominion, “the protesters” as they

were first called, suffered imprisonment or death for challenging the

authority of the church. Protesters claimed the Bible was the final

authority in matters of faith. Church leaders were convinced that

ecclesiastical authority and traditions were higher authority. This

simple difference became the all important distinction between

Protestants and Catholics. As Protestants began to see that the

church was unwilling to change, a number of “protester” preachers

began to conclude that the church was anti-Christ. The Protestant

position was bolstered by the prophetic fact that the little horn of

Daniel 7 is the papacy. Protesters traced the history and power of

the church (the little horn) back to its Roman origin. Because there

is some similarity between the little horn of Daniel 7 and the horn

power of Daniel 8, Protestants assumed that Daniel 8 was a

repetition and enlargement of Daniel 7.

About the turn of the seventeenth century, two Jesuit scholars from

Spain, Francisco Ribera and Luis de Alcasar, introduced counter-

reformation theories to refute the claims of Protestants. Their

objective was to use the Bible to defeat Protestants by openly

refuting their prophetic interpretations with Scripture! As a result

of their endeavors, two conflicting prophetic schemes emerged

within the Catholic Church. Ribera’s findings, published in 1590,

claimed that the Antichrist was a single male individual who would

appear just before the Second Coming of Jesus. By showing the

Antichrist to be a single individual, Ribera thought he could defeat a


principal argument of the Protestants. Most sixteenth century

Protestants believed the popes occupied the seat of the Antichrist. In

other words, Protestants did not believe the Antichrist was a single

individual (the little horn of Daniel 7 is not a single individual).

Ribera claimed that the Antichrist would bitterly persecute the

saints during the last days of Earth, and he would abolish the

Christian religion and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Ribera also

claimed that the Jews would receive the Antichrist as Messiah

because of his miracles and then he would conquer the world in

three and one half years.

Alcasar’s preterist position, published in 1614 was just the opposite.

Alcasar’s position was based on the supposition that Revelation’s

story was essentially fulfilled during the first century A.D. Alcasar

concluded that Revelation described the victory of early Christians

over the Jewish nation and the overthrow of pagan Rome in A.D.

476. He concluded that Nero was the Antichrist of Revelation. He

also concluded that Antiochus Epiphanes IV was the horn power of

Daniel 8.

When these opposing views were presented to the Protestants, they

were not moved or impressed. For about two hundred years,

Protestants stood firm and united on their prophetic position that

the Roman Catholic Church was the Babylon of Revelation and the

Antichrist was a succession of popes. In the early part of the

nineteenth century, Protestantism began to change its mind because

it became apparent to some Protestants that the Roman Catholic

Church could not meet all of the specifications about the Antichrist

in Daniel and Revelation. A survey of prophetic literature written by

Protestants since 1826 shows how Protestant expositors began to

drift away from their long standing claim that the Roman Catholic

Church was the Antichrist. Today, most Protestant expositors do not

believe the Roman Catholic Church is Babylon and they do not

believe the succession of popes is the Antichrist. It is ironic that

three hundred years after Ribera published his works, the

Protestant, C.I. Scofield, endorsed a modified version of Ribera’s

counter-reformation claim and, as a result, most Protestants today

accept the ideas advanced by Ribera.

Documents

Chapter 4 · Chapter 4 Daniel 8 – The Antichrist “Dear children, this is the last hour; ... 10 Horns Little Horn Rises Little Horn Wounded Little Horn Heard Boasting Daniel 2